HC Deb 13 July 1999 vol 335 cc117-9W
Mr. Howard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of the study of stop and search undertaken by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Singh) of 8 May 1998,Official Report, column 514; and if he will make a statement. [91180]

Kate Hoey

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that the study of stop and search referred to in the reply given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Singh) is currently being evaluated. An interim report should be produced by the end of July and the full evaluation will be published in September.

The Metropolitan Police have been examining stop and search since 1995, and between April 1998 and March 1999 undertook work under the guidance of the Home Office and subject to independent evaluation on seven pilot sites: Brixton, Kingston, Plumstead, Hounslow, Tottenham, Limehouse and Charing Cross. The aims of the pilots are to: improve the effective use of the tactic in tackling crime; demonstrate to the public the contribution of the tactic to tackling crimes that concerns them; ensure it is exercised fairly across all ethnic groups; and ensure it is exercised in a way which minimises damage to community confidence.

I look forward to hearing the outcome of the study.

Mr. Howard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and search incidents took place in the Metropolitan Police district in 1998; if he will provide the ethnic breakdown of those stopped and searched; what proportion of such incidents resulted in(a) an arrest and (b) a charge, broken down by ethnic group; and if he will make a statement. [91087]

Kate Hoey

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has provided the following summary of information on stop and search records for the financial year 1998–99. He informs me that the Metropolitan Police does not keep data on charges in the form requested.

Arrests as a result
White Black Asian Other Not recorded Total
Offensive weapons 1,933 892 264 92 107 3,288
Going equipped 1,053 355 117 32 47 1,604
Other 5,662 2,857 646 150 217 9,532
Total 23,140 9,668 3,177 707 894 37,586
Percentage of searches resulting in arrest
percentage
White 12.7
Black 13.1
Asian 11.5
Other 14.0
Not recorded 11.9
Vehicles n/a
Total 12.5